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Hi I'm Rick

I grew up in Calgary and Edmonton, served a mission in the Fukuoka Japan mission from 78-80 and live in northwestern Alberta

About Me

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I have been married for over 30 years, we were married in the Cardston, Alberta Temple. We have 6 children, 3 boys, 3 girls, the youngest recently graduated and is preparing for a mission, the others have graduated and are at various stages of marriage, careers, and education.
I have been a high school principal (8 yrs) and football coach (30+ yrs and over 55 different teams)
I am ABD (All but dissertation) on a doctorate in Educational leadership exploring how high school students learn leadership.

Why I am a Mormon

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My mom joined the church at 18, my dad joined the church when I was 5 or 6 years old. When my dad met my mom he was on a path to be a priest in the Roman Catholic faith - my grandparents on his side were strong members of the Catholic faith their whole lives.
I grew up in the church - but early in my junior high school life I found myself having to decide if I was going to follow the teachings of the church - particularly something we call the Word of Wisdom or follow my school friends and drink, smoke etc. The decision was critical to my life path - the second choice was to wait for marriage for other things that my friends were deciding not to wait for. This created a separation from some friends and a change in the relationship with others.
As my 19th birthday approached I determined to go on a mission. I felt I needed to know for sure two key things. The entire church hangs on two principles in my mind and the knowledge or personal testimony of these two items leads to everything else.
a) Did Joseph Smith see what he said he saw in what we refer to in the church as "The Sacred Grove". Specifically did Joseph Smith actually see, with his eyes, and speak with, God the Father and Jesus Christ. We refer to this incident as the Joseph Smith story - it's in our scriptures and available to read on this site.
The second item is connected to the first
b) Did Joseph Smith receive golden plates from an ancient American prophet named Moroni, translating those plates to produce the Book of Mormon (Moroni's father by the by).
If the first didn't happen - everything else is false. If it did then, as we say in Canada from time to time, "game on". The testimony of the first vision must come to each individual, the idea that God always used prophets should not seem foreign to readers of the ancient scripture. I have always felt that if we needed a prophet after Moses, we probably needed a prophet after each successive prophet. Times change, circumstances change - I suspect Moses didn't have to deal too much with texting, cell phones, and cocaine - an odd mix I know but illustrative of the impact of change.
The testimony of the first vision, the subsequent testimony of the Book of Mormon which simply cannot be earned without reading the book and asking in prayer for yourself has lead to a commitment to be in the church of my own choice and do what I can to improve and live the gospel.

How I live my faith

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I currently serve as the leader of the young men's (12-18) organization in the church. Most of my life I've worked with youth related assignments. I spent 12 years in an assignment that provided an opportunity to speak and visit with members around a region of the church that covers the entire NW corner of Alberta and the NE corner of British Columbia.
I enjoy encouraging all my players and students - member or not - to think about the principles we refer to as the Word of Wisdom - the idea that we shouldn't drink alcohol, smoke, use drugs - with the focus being upon the blessings we can receive in health and wisdom. I am amazed that a revelation given to Joseph Smith three years after the formal organization of the church in 1833 addressed matters that guide us in both what we should and should not take into our bodies. The connection of the physical body to the emotional and spiritual body is absolute...I have been richly blessed by obeying these words of wisdom, I have never missed a day of work for illness since I was 16.
I try to use my understanding of the plan of salvation to help others in times when they are struggling to understand why we are on this earth and what the future holds for us, this has particularly been of support when dealing with the untimely loss of life for friends and family.

Mormons believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. Why do we need a Savior?

Rick

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I have always felt that the key to this question lies in our inability to actually do what our mom's promised they'd try to do when we fell as little children. Do you remember, "here I'll kiss it and make it all better". The simple fact is that they could give us comfort, and yes time can heal any wounds we may have but the scar is there. Our choices are ours, the freedom we received when we chose to come to this earth. The consequences of those choices are not ours and while we can do much to reduce and alleviate the pain as a result of our choices we simply cannot do it all. Additionally there is heartache that comes through no choice of our own other than agreeing to come to this earth, live and ultimately die. The young couple who loses an infant, the wife whose husband is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gerhig's disease) no amount of words from friends and family can provide full comfort. The Savior, Jesus Christ and his atonement, Crucifixion, and resurrection provide us with that full comfort, that eternal perspective.
We can do a lot through the repentance process, we can do much to provide comfort but in the end there is and always will be a gap, that gap is filled by the atonement of our Savior.Show moreShow less